Front sight for military shoulder-arms.



T. 0. JOHNSON.

FRONT SIGHT FOR MILITARY SHOULDER ARMS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. 1916. v

Patented July 18, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. JoHNsoN, or New HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO wINCHEs'rEn BEPEATING ARMS 00., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ,A CORPORATION,

' FRONT sren'r FOR MILITARY SHOULDER-ARMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1916.

Application filed February 12, 1916. Serial No. 77,828.

. V do hereby declare the followingg-when taken in connection with the accompanying draw.- mgs and the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,'and which saiddrawings constitute part of this application, and represent in Figure 1 a broken view in side elevation of the muzzle-end of a gun-barrel provided with a military front-sight constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 a view thereof in front elevation. Fig. 3 a

view thereof in vertical transverse section on the line aZ) of Fig. 1. Fig. 4. a broken plan view of the muzzle-end of the barrel with the sight removed to show the keyslot. Fig. 5 a detached plan view of the key. Fig. 6 a view thereof in side elevation. Fig. 7 a detached view in side elevation of the combined sight-base, over-arch ing sight-cover and barrel-encircling band. Fig. 8 a view thereof in rear elevation.

My invention relates to an improved front sight for military shoulder arms, the object being to produce a simple and reliable sight constructed with particular reference to ease of application to the gun-barrel as well as to ease in the application and interchange of the sight-piece proper.

With these ends in view my invention consists in a front sight for military shoulder arms having certain details of construction as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, I employ a sight-base 2, an overarching sightcover or hood 3, and a barrel-encircling retaining-band 4, all made in one to embrace the gun-barrel 5 which is made with a very slight taper. The sight-base 2, hood 3 and band 4; thus form a combined part, easily handled and with its component features permanently fixed in relation to each other. Near its muzzle-end the upper face of the barrel is formed with a central longitudinal shallow key-slot 6 having rounded ends and designed for the receptlon of a key 7 having projecting rounded ends 8 between'which it rises as at 9 above the upper face of the gun-barrel. For the reception'of the part 9 of the key 7, the sight-base 2 is formed in its lower face with a slot 10 running from rear to front and opening upward out of the top of the retaining-band 4 as best shown in Fig. 8. A pin 11 passed through a transverse hole 12 in the sight-base 2 andalso through a transverse hole 13 in the key 7 prevents the sight as a whole from moving either laterally 0r longitudinally with respect to the gun-barrel. The upper face of the sightbase 2 is inclined as at 14 from rear to front, having a high point 15 at its rear end. This inclined face 14 is transversely intersected by a dovetail slot 16 inclined to correspond to the inclination of the face 1 1 of the sight-base and receiving the dovetail rib 17 of the sight-piece proper comprising a body 18 and plate 19 both of which are thus inclined with respect to the line of the gun-barrel owing to the inclined position of the slot 16, as described. For the insertion of the sight-piece proper, the si ht cover or hood 8 is provided with alined transverse openings 20 which permit the sight proper to be readily applied to the sight-base 2 and interchanged with other sights of different heights as occasion may require. As shown, the rear face of the hood or cover 3 is roughened as at 21 to prevent its reflection of light. The front and rear ends of the sightbase 2 are, as shown, though not necessarily, formed with deep cuts 22 and 23 which lighten the combined part.

I claim 1. A military sight having a sight-base, overarching sightcover or hood, and a barrel-embracing retaining-band, all made in one piece, in combination with a sightpiece applied to the said sight-base and located within the said overarching sight cover.

2. The combination with a gun-barrel having its muzzle-end formed with a keyslot, of a combined part comprising a sight base, overarching cover or hood, and a retaining-band, all made in one piece, a sightpiece applied to the said sight-base and located within the said overarching-cover or hood, and a key set into the said slot and co-acting With the said part for securing the samein place upon the gun-barrel.

3. A military front-sight having a sightbase, overarching sight-cover or hood, and a retaining-band, all made in one piece and formed in its upper portion With transverse openings, in combination With a sight-piece adapted to be passed through the said transverse openings for being positioned Within the overarching cover and applied to the said base.

4. A military front-sight having a sightbase, overarching sight-cover or hood, and a barrel-embracing retaining-band, all made in one piece and provided in its upper portion with transverse openings and formed in the inclined upper face of the said base With a transversely arranged dovetail slot, in combination with a sight-piece having a dovetail rib, the said sight-piece being base.

,with a key-slot, of a key fitting therein and extending above the upper face of the barrel, a one-piece combined part comprising a sight-base slotted to receive the said key, an overarching sight-cover or hood and a barrel-embracing retaining-band; means passing transversely through the sight-base and key for holding the said combined part against lateral and longitudinal movement With respect to the gun-barrel, and a sightpiece positioned Within the said overarching sight-cover'or hood and applied to the said THOMAS C. JOHNSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. G. I i 

